Dragons and Horses
by girl.in.water
Summary: A hero being tried; penalty? Death. The hero in question? Percy Jackson. R&R, please! Rated T for language and occasionally dark themes.
1. In the Beginning

**Story:: **Dragons and Horses

**Chapter:: **In the Beginning

**Summary:: **After being accused of a crime he did not commit, Percy is banished to Alaska. On the run from a crazed man who has a strange aptitude for following him, our favorite hero is forced to watch as he is betrayed and forgotten by his old friends. When he finds another group of demigods who are going through similar situations, Percy and the gang are taken in by an unexpected deity, who helps them overcome their past and move on. What will happen when the group is forced to return and help those than abandoned them?

**So Far:: **Nothing Yet!

**Notes From the Author:: **Please R&R, guys! And try not to get too ticked off at me. There's some stuff in here… uh, just don't kill me. It doesn't seem bad a first. But.

And I'll try to update as often as possible; I just want this to be awesome, so it won't be updates as often as my other story… that's active…

* * *

**_Third Person POV_**

It was a dark, stormy day- the gods must have been angry; or maybe saddened. Of course, few would know of them. Very few indeed. The damp streets of New York City were practically empty. The only movement was the occasional car, or an unlucky person struggling through the torrents of rain. Little action; little excitement.

High atop the Empire State Building, on a bed of rumbling grey clouds, was Olympus. The grand city which was normally filled with music and mirth was exceptionally quiet, to anyone who could hear. Like the calm before the storm- an excellent expression, especially considering the gods within. It had been like this all day. Were a curious demigod to peep into the castle of the gods on that winter solstice, they would see the Olympians themselves whispering quietly with each other, rarely raising their voices. _The calm before the storm_, it was said. Certainly the truth.

The preoccupied silence suddenly turned into angry shouts as fighting rose amongst them. It was only a couple distinct voices at first, but they soon multiplied, until all twelve of the gods were arguing. Usually such a thing was common; but usually it was over senseless topics, such as who was the most powerful, or whether one goddess or another was more beautiful. For once, however, there was a point, a reason to the madness. A hero being tried; penalty? Death. The hero in question? Percy Jackson.

Percy himself was not there, of course- why would Zeus bother telling him he could be dead in the very near future?

The vote had been tied, hence the arguing. Those that were for the execution- Ares, Zeus, Athena, Hera, Dionysius, and Hades- seemed to be about to end the discussion, despite the statements of the others for Percy- Aphrodite, Poseidon, Hermes, Hestia, Apollo, and Artemis. The appearance was correct.

All quieted as Zeus zapped the center of the throne room with his Master bolt.

**"Listen to me, friends, and hear well. Perseus Jackson shall be spared of death, but not of punishment. For his crimes, he shall be banished- left to survive on his own."**

* * *

**_Percy POV_**

My day was going fine until I disappeared, thank you very much.

Oh. Sorry. Guess that was a bit confusing, wasn't it?

I mean, I was having a wonderful afternoon with Annabeth until some god decided to transport me to Olympus. Yeah. It sucked, to put it mildly.

Especially once I learned I got to spend a while in Alaska. I mean, how fun is that? Actually, it didn't seem so bad at first. It's just Alaska, right?

Crap. ADHD. Getting ahead of myself, sorry. I suppose that I should explain what actually happened in the throne room of the gods, shouldn't I?

Once there, I fell on my face. (Not a necessary detail, but I thought it was important.) Shaking the dizziness from my head, I stood up and glanced crossly at Zeus. He was staring at me with slight anger, and I could feel similar gazes piercing into me from all around. I was about to retort to- well, nothing-when the pompous king spoke.

**"Perseus." **Gods, didn't that dude realize I hated being called that? **"I have called you here to discuss an important matter," **No, really? I thought we were having tea. **"After having tried you for your crimes…" **What? Firstly, why wasn't I there? Secondly, what crimes? **"We have decided against killing you." **Gee, I feel so loved. **"But…" **Seriously? **"We have decided to send you north." **A quest? Phht, easy. **"To Alaska," **Ok… **"To live out your life." **Oh. I opened my mouth to reply, but the jerk interrupted me. **"You will not have a chance to say goodbye to anyone, as I am sure that was your question," **Actually, it wasn't. **"Any last words?" **Thank the… actually, don't thank the gods.

Clearing my throat, I nodded. **"Actually, sir, I was wondering… exactly what crime did I commit?" **He stared at me rather blandly and yawned.

**"You betrayed Olympus and your camp."**

**"Um… sorry, ****_sir, _****but how?"**

**"Are you so narrow minded that you do not remember?" **He sighed. **"Jackson, you murdered one of your own. A camper at Camp Halfblood. To be precise…" **His pause made me want to slap him. **"Jason Grace, my son." **Oh. No wonder the dude was pissed.

**"Sir, I think there must be a mistake. I didn't kill anyone." **That was apparently the wrong thing to say, as my hair started to smoke under Zeus's stare.

**"Goodbye. I would say be safe, but unfortunately, I don't really care." ** With a bright flash, I was gone.

* * *

_One Year Later_

I sighed inwardly as I watched the misty screen form. Some brilliant immortal came up with the idea of making me watch a scene from Camp every day. I got to see the betrayals, the laughter, and the overall good days people were having, while I was stuck in this hell hole getting tortured every day.

To answer your question- no, that part had nothing to do with any kind of unjustified punishment for something I didn't do. Ehem.

On this day, I had the pleasure of watching my old girlfriend- Annabeth- make out with my half-brother. I crinkled my nose in disgust as he-

This is a T rated story, right? Ok, then, not going there.

In the beginning, they had been upset. They gradually moved on, though- it wasn't this that bothered me so much as the fact that they completely forgot me. All the belongings that I had left at camp had been thrown out, all pictures that they happened to take of me left on a shelf to collect dust. It worsened when HE arrived. No, not Tyson. Gods, I haven't seen him at all. Nope- Ian Greenwood. A year younger than me, he has light brown hair, blue eyes- not anywhere near to the sea green color of mine- but he is around the same height as me. Pretty much took my place.

Part of me was more than a little angry. I mean, after all I had done for them… That part of me said that the only reason the gods got rid of me was because I was too powerful. Another part of me agreed- maybe the only reason I was forgotten was because the gods made them forget. The other part of me, the one that knew the truth, agreed with both. They DID have a little bit of help moving on, and surely the only reason Ian was sent there was to completely eradicate any doubts left in the campers minds. Of course the gods got rid of me- I was becoming extremely powerful, and not just because of my powers- which, by the way, I have more of than Ian- but because of my position. I had accomplished so much, from retrieving Zeus's bolt to destroying Gaea. I could become a threat. Couldn't take that chance, could they?

Filled with bitterness, I turned away from the scene- it was dissolving anyways. There was nothing I could do but watch. And, unfortunately, I couldn't spend much of my time doing that, as I was currently on the run from… well, I don't know exactly what, but I have my suspicions. Pretty much every time he gets me I get beaten- which, if I still had Achilles Curse, it wouldn't have been bad, but as it was, it hurt. A lot. The chase started about a month ago, when I had escaped from him originally. I don't think the guy was human, because he kept on catching me. I kept on escaping. Most of the wounds had begun to heal, but I still had the scars.

It wasn't a pleasant ordeal, but it wasn't as if I could leave. I already tried- first thing I did. It was like there was a border around the state of Alaska, holding me in. Stupid gods, stupid life.

I sighed and grabbed my trusty sword, Riptide, and began to follow the rising sun away from my old camp.

* * *

**Hey guys! I hope you like it so far… it's basically the introduction. Prologue, really. Explaining what is happening. It's poorly written, I apologize for that… The next chapter will be better! Promise! **

**Anyways, please R&R! I'll update when I can. **


	2. Pain

**Story::** Dragons and Horses

**Chapter::** Pain

**So Far::** Percy has been banished to Alaska by the gods. Not much else, really- besides explaining a bit of what went on during the year that followed.

**Notes From the Author::** This chapter is going to explain the stories of the three OCs that Percy befriends. Maybe the thoughts of the deity before she takes them in. Haven't decided, but you'll find out at the end of the chapter…

* * *

**_Crystal POV_**

The bright sun of summer almost managed to distract me from the task at hand. It blinded me- I had lost my sunglasses several days before, in my voyage to Alaska. Maybe then the Canadian police would stop chasing me; only the gods could tell. Knowing my luck, however…

Sensing my prosecutors nearby, I clambered from my hiding place and disappeared into the shadows. Not literally, of course; only children of Hades had that ability. No, I just used them to hide my presence. My move was made just in time- one second after displacing myself, several uniformed officers ran by, shouting at each other in French. I smiled to myself, thanking Tyche for my good luck. When I was completely sure that they were gone, I loosed the shadows and turned in the direction I had come. The small town I was in was close to the border- at least, I was relatively sure. All I had to do was head east for a couple miles and I should have gotten there. It took little time, as I am a fast runner- not meaning to brag or anything, but I am.

I could feel the change immediately. That's one of the pluses, being related to the gods. You KNOW things. It got a bit depressing at times, considering the dreams that came with it, but there was little I could do about such a thing. Sighing in relief, I vowed to travel a little farther, build a fire, and sleep. My stomach was rumbling, but hunger would have to wait. I was too tired to do anything besides what I have previously mentioned.

My hands splayed towards the fire, warming themselves for the first time in ages. It felt excellent- I felt excellent. The best I had felt in days, for that matter. Contented, I curled up next to the fire and prepared for sleep.

_I was in a dark room. The shadows screamed at me with their silence, and I shuddered. This place… I hd been here before. It was evil- the monster that lived here was evil. She always attempted force, tried to create a feeling of resentment inside of me. There was no need to; it was already there- I had learned how to control my anger at those who betrayed me. Nothing ever got to me, not here. Not ever. The dream repeated itself as usual._

**_"Child, why do you force yourself to suffer so? I could ease your pain in an instant. All you must do is join my cause…" _**_The crooning filled me with temptation. I resisted it, allowing no break in my guard._

**_"Thy is an evil creature. Thee see no reason to cooperate, nor do thee see any reason to in the near future." _**_I often gave prominent clues to my old origins, though I believe I have become better at this. The lady, whom I could not properly see the face of, smirked._

**_"You betray yourself. Join me, child. Your precious patron has done nothing for you. But I can, I promise…" _**_This was as far as the vision ever got. Usually I would wake up afterwards, but apparently, this time, my mind had other business to attend to. The scene faded into a new one. _

_I stood- no, that is not the proper word. It was more like floating. I floated above a thin blanket of snow, undisturbed by human presence. The calm image held no sound, and all I could see was miles of blank ground- at least, until the appearance of a boy. He possessed shaggy black hair, and a shining bronze sword. At the top of the hill we were upon he paused, hunching over and taking several deep breaths. I watched with guarded interest and he turned towards his follower, still huffing and puffing from outrunning it. It… I could not exactly describe. He- for it was a male- seemed to shift and change, taking no specific shape. The desperate slashes from the other were useless, as they passed right through the beast. For some reason, I felt the urge to protect him- before I could move, ripples blurred my vision, and I could barely see the boy's pale lips part in a cry as he was overtaken before it faded. _

* * *

**_Anastasiame POV_**

Someone once told me that sunset is a good time to make decisions. At first, I thought that the idea was pretty stupid- I'm a pretty impulsive kid. Only now did I realize the wisdom of the statement. Sunset was a pretty peaceful time, I suppose.

Oh. Crap. I suppose you want to know what decision I was making, don't you? Sorry 'bout that.

I lived in northern Alaska. My home life… well, it wasn't exactly pleasant. Honestly, I hated it- but there really wasn't anything I could do before then. The previous day, however, my family left on vacation. I never went on vacations with them- we all felt uncomfortable with it. Usually, I never had the courage too, but… That day I was feeling exceptionally brave. I had the chance, the motive, and most importantly- the will. I could run away. Leave my cursed life behind. Until the midway point between afternoon and evening, though, I couldn't make up my mind.

I ended up choosing to leave- trust me, in my position, you would have too. Since I figured that it would be a while before I could find food and shelter, I packed the following in a backpack and a tote bag:

A sleeping bag

A spare change of clothes

Three water bottles, all filled

Some goldfish

A couple apples

A jar of peanut butter and a spoon

A bag of crackers

Pecans

Dried cranberries

Several bars of chocolate

My iPod

Some things weren't necessary for survival, yeah, but for my sanity, they were. To be clear.

When I had finished packing… well, there wasn't much else to do, so I left. Just. Like. That. BOOM.

* * *

**_Larremsetailee_**

Life sucks.

Let's put that out there before I begin.

I never lie, never do anything unjustified, and generally am kind to people. See where that's gotten me? Not very far, considering everyone I know hates me. Go ahead, ask everyone in Boston- I have been officially disowned. Nope, no such thing as Larry in Boston, Massachusetts. (Yeah, yeah… People call me Larry for short.) I had left home a few days after my family freaked out at me- stole onto a train. I think I had gotten off at some stop in California- that is where Lupa found me. After that… well, it was kind of a blur. Next thing I knew I was at camp Jupiter, and had gotten claimed by my real dad.

Several training sessions later, guess what? I had to go and fend for myself again. That time I didn't even know what I had done wrong- just that my friends had abandoned me again. So I headed north- getting away from the gods would be a good thing, and from the little I had learned, Alaska was the only place to do that. The way there was pretty boring- I barely even got attacked by monsters. Those I beat easily; I had taken a bow and a spear from camp, figuring they would come in handy. They did.

Unfortunately, I did not pack as well as I should have. The farther north I got, the colder I got. I didn't pack a jacket.

That's right, I am incredibly smart. Bask in my wisdom.

After a while, I got used to it. Basically, once I reached Washington, I was fine. Besides hunger, thirst, and sleeplessness, of course. Can't forget those.

Pretty soon after that- gee, I was a quick traveler- I had crossed the Canadian border. Though it was the smallest crossing area, it was still a large difference, especially on foot. Even fewer monsters attacked me while I was travelling there, and despite the large relief it was, it also made the journey rather boring. Anytime that I became so bored I almost died, I simply threw my spear at a tree. Felt a lot better, then.

* * *

**Ok. So, no deity POV. I have used any and all scraps of inspiration on those guys ^^^. Which are all really crappy anyways. Aw. Oh, well. Sorry for that. xD**

**R&R, as usual. **


	3. Gain

**Story::** Dragons and Horses

**Chapter::** Gain

**So Far::** Percy has been banished to Alaska by the gods. After telling a few details of what had happened during a year of his banishment, three other demigods come into the picture, and all explain how they got to Alaska.

**Notes From the Author::**

This is a tiny bit fluff, but it still is important. So you still have to read it. O.o

If you do, I will give you cookies.

* * *

**_Anastasiame POV_**

After I left, I didn't do much. If you want the truth.

During the time span of a few days, I traveled southeast. I don't know what, but something drove me in that direction, kept on pushing me when I felt like I was dying.

I didn't, by the way. Die, that is.

On the third day, I stopped to rest and check out the supplies I had used up. My chosen area was at the edge of a forest, and included all the necessaries of a five star hotel. On one side of the clearing was a tall tree, with plenty of branches to climb and a clump of branches farther up, all of which looked sturdy enough to hold my weight on their own. A small stream ran next to the tree, crystal clear and slow enough that several fish lived in its shallows. There were several bushes enclosing a dip in the ground, right next to the stream. Beautiful.

Sighing in contentment, I made my way over to the maple and perched myself on one of its lower branches. Though it was hard, sitting, and not running, felt good for a change. Pulling off the bright orange backpack on my shoulders, and hanging the tote back on a branch above me, I vowed to go through them in the morning. The branches made a perfect ladder as I climbed a bit higher, not even bothering to retrieve my sleeping bag before falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up rested and refreshed. The fact that weird dreams did not invade me definitely helped. Feeling indefinitely happier than before, I swung back down to the bottom, where I had left my supplies. The dirty blue tote was slightly torn- probably from some animal- but I didn't think there was anything missing. I slipped it off of the branch and lowered it next to the backpack, dropping myself after it.

In the tote was my sleeping bag and the clothes. Cool, that was all I packed.

The backpack had contained everything else. All that was left was an apple, most of a jar of peanut butter, the spoon, half of the crackers, a bag and a half of dried cranberries, a bag of pecans (I love pecans), three chocolate bars, one and a half of the three water bottles- they were pretty big- and my iPod. Good, that should last a few more days. I packed everything back up, swung the bags over my shoulders, and jumped out of the tree, prepared for a new day on the run.

* * *

That day was extremely tiring. Several… THINGS had attacked me. I didn't know why, or what they were, even, but somehow I managed to outrun them. The sun was beginning to set when I felt safe enough to stop. I sat down on the cold, hard ground and pulled off my backpack. After placing it in front of me, I reached in through the slight opening. Sticking my tongue out in an admittedly childish manner, I felt around until I was sure I held the plastic bag containing cranberries. The crinkling noise intensified as I reached in and grabbed a handful of the squishy red fruits. Tart was one of my favorite flavors, which is why cranberries are some of my favorite snacks.

As I chewed a few of them, I examined my surroundings with casual interest. My interest spiked as I heard a strange, strange sound, which one would never expect to hear in the middle of nowhere. It intrigued me so, and after replacing my bag, I sneaked over to investigate the mysterious noise.

Ha, I was so leading you on. It wasn't that exciting.

All I heard was a small sigh- kind of one in pain. I do suppose it wouldn't be COMMON to hear one where I was, but still. Not amazing.

Over the crest of the hill was a boy. He had dark black hair, an athletic build and tan skin that was rather marred by the blood and wounds that covered him. Tutting sympathetically, I shuffled over to him the best I could in my frozen state and knelt by him. This step was immediately followed by a gently prod at his shoulder.

No response.

I sighed, then blew a strand of tangled blonde hair out of my eyes. Cracking my knuckles, I poked him- sharply- on his bruised stomach. He yelped and sat up straight, glancing about wildly. Finally, his shining sea-like eyes rested on me, and visibly relaxed.

**"Um…. Hi?" **His voice was sharp and jagged, probably from all the pain he must have been feeling

**"Gee, no thanks?" **I shrugged, then held out my hand, which still contained some of my snack. **"Cranberries?"**

**"Um… no, thanks…" **

I smiled. **"See? That's what I was looking for. Anyways, why yah so beat up? Was it one of those monster things?" **My voice turned from teasing to serious. **"They came after me a BUNCH when I was travelling. Funny, whenever people passed by, they never seemed to notice them." **He gave me a funny look when I spoke that.

**"What?" **Realization dawned on me. **"OH. You think I'm crazy, don't you? Well, fine then. See if I care!" **I was about to storm off when he started laughing. It was slightly insane, but kind of cute at the same time.

**"No, I believe you. I just didn't think there would be any other demigods in Alaska. I'm Percy, by the way." **

**"Really?"**

**"Yeah. Those were Greek monsters. You know all the Greek myths, right?" **I nodded, unable to speak. **"Well, they're real. You and I, we're demigods- like Hercules and Theseus were. Half god, half mortal. Do you have a step dad or mom?" **

**"Uh… mom…" **His words were taking me completely off guard. Maybe he was delusional? But if he was, how did he know that I lived with only one biological parent?

Our already awkward conversation was interrupted by another presence. (Gods, were we having a party or something?) Another boy, dressed in a tattered purple shirt and khaki shorts- he must have been cold- approached us cautiously.

**"Are you monsters in disguise? Or are you humans? Or half-bloods?" **

**"Gods, no. Another idiot to deal with." **Louder, I added, **"According to this dude…" **I pointed at Percy. **"I am a demigod. I think he is too." **The injured half-blood nodded in consent. The new person still seemed a bit uptight, but he didn't seem as if he was about to attack anymore.

**"Anyways, this is Percy. I'm Anastasiame, but you can call me Ana." **I hopped up, popping the rest of the cranberries into my mouth. **"Anyways, I should probably get going. Almost dark, so." **

Percy gave me another funny look. Sighing, gestured for him to say whatever he wanted to say.

**"Hm? Nothing."**

**"Really? And that's why you keep on opening and closing you mouth?"**

**"Weeell…"**

The other interrupted us. **"Do you guys even know each other? And why are y'all traveling alone?" **It was my turn to give a funny look, this time directed at him.

**"Of course we don't." **I paused. **"You said, 'y'all'." **

**"Yeah, well. I originated in the south." **

**"Well, isn't that cool. And to answer your other original question… It's because I have no one else to travel with. Why else?"**

**"Why don't we all travel together, then?" **Percy butted in. I swear, I almost slapped him. Then I nodded slowly, getting the origins of his idea. **[A/N; I like the word, 'origins'. xD] **

**"Yeah, I suppose that could work. As long as you guys do your own thing for sleeping conditions- there is no way I am sharing my sleeping bag." **They laughed at that.

**"Sounds good to me. So, Ana and Percy, right? I'm Larremsetailee, but…" **He winced. **"You can call me Larry."**

I smiled, then turned back to Percy as he spoke, **"Well, we better get going then. Come on; I think there's a place nearby where we can stay." **

* * *

**_Third Person POV_**

Far from the snowy hill on which three of the four chosen stood, ever farther from Gaea, was a small planet, not different in climate and landscape. A glowing silver mansion sat in one of its vast forests, home to none, yet well kept. In one of its many rooms sat a glittering mirror, which would seem normal to any under the influence of the mist. Anyone else, however, would see the flickering pictures, showing the progress of four said teenagers, as well as the mysterious being that the planet belonged to, which was guiding them to each other.

Soon after a picture of the trio passed, a young man entered the room, and bowed to the then black mirror.

**"Milady. Do you wish us to begin preparing for their arrival?"**

**"No, not just yet." **A smooth voice came from the mirror, **"I believe the Fates wish the prophecy to be sent, however. You remember the instruction they gave you?"**

**"My apprenticeship may have been many years ago, but I could never forget what I learnt. I shall do so right away, Milady."**

**"Thank you, James. Please, though: stop calling me that. Chaos would do fine." **

* * *

**BUM BUM! Yeah, another Chaos story. Please, though, gimme a break. I promise it's going to be different. **

**Hopefully.**

**Anyways, you read it! Here are the cookies I promised. (::) (::) (::) (::)**

**ALSO**

**thank you guys so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them. And I know people say this 5,000 times, but the more reviews I get, the faster I update! So R&R!**


	4. and Prophecies

**Story::** Dragons and Horses

**Chapter:: **and Prophecies

**So Far::** Percy has been banished to Alaska by the gods. After telling a few details of what had happened during a year of his banishment, three other demigods come into the picture, and all explain how they got to Alaska. From Anastasiame's POV, three of the demigods- Ana[Anastasiame], Percy, and Larry[Larremsetailee]- meet and decide to travel together. Chaos is introduced into the story as she talks with her employee, James.

**Author's Notes:: **So. Um. I don't think I have anything to say.

ON WITH THE CHAPTER! XDDDD

* * *

**_Annabeth POV_**

It had been almost a year and a half since Percy went missing. I think the gods knew something about it, but they never bothered to tell any of us. It was pretty depressing at first, I'll admit. I cried in my cabin for three days straight. The entire camp was covered in a cloud of gloom; Percy had saved us from so much- with my help, of course. But we got over it. It was still hard, until Tristan came along. He's a son of Poseidon too. He helped me get over Percy. Well…

I hate to admit it, but he made life so exciting, we all just forgot about Percy. When Tristan moved in to cabin 3, after being claimed, he threw out all of Percy's stuff. And not only did I let him, but I helped him do it. We ended up dating soon after. I think the only people who actually still really cared about Percy were Thalia and Nico, them being his cousins and all… but even they ended up forgetting about him.

That day was the day of the monthly counselor's meeting. We were all in the main room of the Big House, waiting for Chiron to arrive. The loud noise was probably the fact that the Stolls had decided to put… something at the door. Luckily, I had arrived early, so I was not covered in sea green gunk like everyone else. Tristan, however, thought it would be a great idea to come over and hug me. He had been in the middle of one of the drops, and was absolutely covered in the stuff. I squealed and jumped away, just in time. He laughed- oh my gods, his wonderful laugh- and started chasing after me. Chaos completely ensued: not that it hadn't already, it just got worse. Luckily, Chiron finally arrived. He had not escaped the dump of the gunk, and was brightly colored. Clearing his throat, he began speaking.

**"First of all, whoever set up that mechanism over the doorway…" **He made a pointed search for Connor and Travis, who were mysteriously missing. **"While it is a fine work of machinery, the results were not very amusing, and I must ask you to not reset-" **He was interrupted by a splash and an angry shout. The twins that had caused the mess came barreling into the room.

**"Careful, there's a maniacal girl outside!"** The brother on the left started- I'm pretty sure it was Connor.

**"We managed to lock her out, but-" **Travis was interrupted by a loud breaking sound.

**"Oops." **In unison, the boys continued to run away from their pursuer. Rachel, who had large rivets of slime running off of her, came into the room in a huff.

**"Have you guys seen the little brats… You know what, whatever. I'll…" **Catching a look from the camp director, she broke off and restarted. **"I'll ****_talk _****to them later. Anyways, sorry I'm late." **She carefully maneuvered around Chiron and sat down in the nearest available seat.

**"As I was saying, please don't reset it." **He sighed and continued. **"Well, as usual we are here to discuss any news from our cabins we might have. I also have some interesting news from Olympus." **He nodded at Katie Gardener to start, and the meeting officially began.

It was kind of boring, same old same old; _"We planted a new garden," "Started a Haiku club," "Fixed an old automaton." _That kind of thing. When everyone had spoken, we got down to the real business: Chiron's announcement.

**"As you all know, our latest Great Prophecy has been completed. The Olympians have become impatient due to unknown matters, and wish to know exactly what the new one is…" **He turned to Rachel, who had somehow obtained a bright green lollipop. **"Have you had any… moments lately?" **

The paint splattered girl shook her head. **"No, sorry. Maybe you should just-"**

She suddenly stopped speaking as a slight green glow surrounded her. A similarly colored smoked swirled from her mouth as she began speaking in the Oracle's voice.

**_"The old one lost, the chaos changed_**

**_The hunted, the betrayed, the forgotten ones pain_**

**_To prevail in a war with little hope_**

**_One must give up what was thought to be loved most_**

**_A son of the sea god, bronze sword to bring light_**

**_In the order of shadows, the darkest of nights_**

**_Little to be won_**

**_Yet so much to gain_**

**_Forgive and forget, a lesson in vain_**

**_Magic, Conquest, Death and Famine_**

**_Fall into battle like no other_**

**_One to face a challenging quest_**

**_To meet with his brother_**

**_Victory with a cost, fate worse than death." _**She collapsed on completion, falling back into the chair.

There was silence for a while as we contemplated the prophecy we had so long been waiting for. I looked over at my boyfriend, who was leaning back in his chair with a huge grin on his face.

**"Well, it's a bit longer than usual. And a heck of a lot more confusing." **I spoke first, breaking the silence. My gaze wandered, watching as several of my fellow counsilors nodded in agreement. Another lapse of silence overtook the group until Chiron dismissed us with a wave. Tristan and I walked out together, goop forgotten.

**"It's obviously referring to me, in that son of the sea god line." **I nodded thoughtfully, not really hearing his words.

**"What I'm wondering is who 'the hunted, the betrayed, and the lost ones' are. Clearly there are four that someone took pain away from. And also, where does magic, conquest, death and famine come into all of this? I mean, they are all part of war, but… it seems as if it's referring to people, in the next line; 'magic, conquest, death and famine fall into battle like no other'." **One glance at Tristan's face told me he wasn't following at all. Laughing at him, I poked his stomach and ran off to my cabin.

* * *

**_Percy POV_**

The girl- she said her name was Ana?- shifted the bag on her shoulder as she followed me away from the red-tinted spot where I had been laying. Larry came too, though he looked a bit more hesitant. I couldn't blame him- I'd probably be hesitant about following such an injured halfblood to a 'safe place'.

Speaking of my injuries- heck yeah, they hurt. I was pretty determined to not show it, though- there was only a slight limp to my walk, and I made it seem as if it was more a… spring to my step, I guess. The place that I had been speaking of was a small rock cave on the edge of the woods. I stayed there whenever I could, and I never really had any monsters attack me while I was there. I figure, it had to be pretty protected.

It took a while before we arrived- this may have been because I got lost a few times on the way there.

When we did reach it, I sighed in relief. I had also stored several days' worth of food and other supplies. Waving to the others- who were thankfully still behind me- I led them down into the darker part of the cave. On one slightly curved wall, there was a slightly burnt torch. Grabbing it, then digging through the bags below its resting place, I lit it and put it back up.

I looked back to the others, whose eyes mirrored the flickering flames.

**"Ok, guys, let's get some sleep."**

I woke up in the middle of the night, my senses tingling. At first I didn't know why, but I soon heard a sound that resembled footsteps echoing a bit farther up the cave. The torch still glowed faintly, and I grabbed the remains of the stick and held it out in front of me to grant a slight light. Feeling prepared, I slowly approached the sound.

First glance told me that I was imagining things, that nothing was there. I looked again, sure I would be wrong.

This time, standing in front of me was an ebony-haired girl. Her gaze shot towards me.

**"I'm Crystal- you are?"**

* * *

**HAHAHAHA. Cliffhanger- gotta love 'em.**

**How'd yah like my prophecy? Pretty good huh? NO? TOO BAD. **

**So, sorry for the long wait- *dodges rotten tomatoes* But anyways. I have decided- BUM BUM- that I am going to grant a reward to the best reviewer in the next five chapters. I'll tell you what it is then, kay?**

**R&R!**


	5. Author's Note

**AUTHOR"S NOTE**

**Guys I hate to do this to you, but this story is on official hiatus. I am far too busy with school, extra curricular activities, ect. ect, and I generally have an extreme case of writers block for this story. If you do like my writing, I will begin at least one other story. I'm really sorry- truely, I am- but these things happen, you know?**

**See you on the flip side;**

** .water**


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